Pelosi's first move should be compromise to reopen government

The first thing Nancy Pelosi should do after being elected speaker of the House on Jan. 3 is extend a face-saving compromise to President Donald Trump that allows for the reopening of the federal government.

I suspect that’s probably the exact opposite of what most Democrats want her to do. After eight years in the minority, they are understandably eager to exert their new authority. And what better opportunity than now, after the president has painted himself into a corner by first announcing on live television before the shutdown that he would be to blame if there was one and then agreeing to the bill passed unanimously in the Senate before caving to the kings and queens of conservative media.

One of the reasons voters put Democrats in control of the House was to provide a check on Trump that did not exist in Congress under Republican leadership. And, I agree that they should investigate allegations of public corruption and abuse of power once they have control of the oversight committees.

But government shutdowns are both bad politics and bad governing, and they hurt innocent people.

There are an estimated 800,000 federal workers going without pay for as long as this nonsense continues. Some are furloughed, others are working, but all will be in financial straits until this thing gets resolved.

And those are just the federal employees, who will eventually get back pay. That doesn’t count all those workers supported by federal employees and federal contracts who are also off the job and won’t be getting any back pay.

There are never any heroes in a government shutdown. The longer they go on, the higher the cost for whatever is negotiated in the end.

On top of all that is the fact that the current shutdown is purely symbolic. It is over money for a border wall that, even if it were appropriated this year, will not be expended during Trump’s first term. If Democrats want to stop him from building a wall, they need to prevent him from having a second term.

I understand how abhorrent the proposal for a Berlin Wall on our southern border is and why people believe so strongly that not one dime should be spent toward that effort. I agree. But funds that are appropriated now can be reappropriated later, and there will be many opportunities to block construction as the process slogs through the federal bureaucracy

The Senate bill included $1.6 billion. Trump was demanding $5 billion, but is desperate for any counter-offer. Pelosi should give him $2 billion, reopening the government and signaling to those all-important moderate swing voters that Democrats in control of the House want to govern responsibly.

The alternative would be to offer a bill with no money at all for the wall, which would pass the House. That would put pressure on Trump and the Senate, which might be satisfying in the short term.

But it is a risky bet to expect that pressure will lead to capitulation. As long as Trump keeps his base, he can hold out.

The disadvantage Democrats have in any government shutdown is their desire to govern. We all know they are going to come to an agreement sooner or later. Sooner would be a lot less painful and damaging.

Walter Rubel is editorial page editor of the Sun-News. He can be reached at wrubel@lcsun-news.com